The Zellner Brothers, directors of the quirky indie films Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, Damsel, and Sasquatch Sunset, have been assembling an A-list cast for their next film, Alpha Gang. There have been some conflicting reports as some of that talent has come and gone, and now Deadline has the latest update with even more big names.
So, the last we heard back in May, Alpha Gang was set to star Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Adria Arjona, Lily-Rose Depp, and Lea Seydoux, with Bae Doona rumored. Deadline confirms Doona for the cast, as well as Kelvin Harrison Jr., but leaves out Arjona who may not be involved any longer. However, they also return Dave Bautista and Riley Keough to the lineup, and they were both out of the mix. Keough worked with the Zellners recently on Sasquatch Sunset, so it makes sense that she would want to again.
That’s one Hell of a group, and easily the most star-powered the Zellners have ever put together.
Here’s the synopsis, which sounds awesome:
“Alpha Gang” follows a group of alien invaders sent to conquer Earth. Disguised in human form as a 1950s leather-clad biker gang, they are ruthless in their mission… until they succumb to the most toxic and contagious human condition of all: emotion.
I would take this with a grain of salt because the Zellners operate on a different wavelength that can be tough to understand. That said, the premise is very cool and should be perfect for their odd sense of humor.
I don’t know if there’s any filmmaker capable of making their audience feel deep-rooted, uncomfortable anxiety quite like Ari Aster. His latest, the provocative, somewhat aimless Eddington, is his version of the social horror that we might see from someone like Jordan Peele. It’s a film that seeks to capture the moment we’re living in now and, let’s be honest, things are pretty horrific. How did we get here? Where did it all start? Eddington doesn’t offer a lot of answers, but that creeping dread of being pulled back to the paranoid insanity of the pandemic, and the criminals who took advantage of it, will send a shiver down your spine.
Eddington centers around two powerful men in a small, fictional New Mexico town at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in May 2020. Joaquin Phoenix is Eddington sheriff Joe Cross, with Pedro Pascal as his rival, liberal mayor and bar owner Ted Garcia. Joe is kinda pathetic. Emma Stone plays his wife Louise, who doesn’t really like to be touched by him, due to a traumatic event from her past that may or may not involve Ted. Joe’s mother-in-law Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell) is camped out on their couch and stuffing their heads with wild conspiracy theories. Joe is taking a stand against the recent mask mandate; meanwhile, Ted is always sporting an N-95 mask, so much so that he’s barely intelligible.
These two are headed for a showdown, and Aster frames Eddington as a sort of neo-Western, but one where the law is a dweeb we feel sorry for. Sensing the mood of the public, Joe takes up an anti-masking stance just so he can challenge Ted in the mayoral election. Pretty soon, he’s driving up and down the town streets shouting conspiracy theories from a megaphone. All of this because Joe doesn’t have much in his life to make himself feel like a man.
The thing is, Joe is like a lot of the charlatans and grifters who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 outbreak. They fueled paranoia, distrust in the government, stoked fear, all to become famous and to make some money, regardless of the damage they cause. Those people are still among us now, capitalizing on chaos and dividing the country irreparably. This idea is embodies by Austin Butler, who plus just such a charlatan, Vernon Jefferson Peak, who has begun a cult that ensnares Louise and her mom.
The most disturbing aspect of Eddington is how accurate it is at showing how the pandemic, combined with heaping amounts of disinformation, fear over Black Lives Matter protests, and disruptive lockdown procedures, sent people spiraling in unexpected directions. Aster creates a tattered fabric of misguided souls, fueled by culture war hysteria. There’s Micheal Ward as Michael, the Black sheriff deputy who seems blissfully disinterested in the inherent racism of the moment. This drives his White ex-girlfriend, Sarah, played by Amelie Hoeferle, crazy as she becomes the unlikely leader of the local BLM movement. There’s Michael’s partner, sheriff deputy Luke, played by Luke Grimes, who becomes so outraged by the George Floyd protests that he starts turning Joe against all Black men, including Michael. Along with a massive data center being built in the heart of the town against the wishes of the Native American population, it’s beginning to feel like a powder keg just waiting for someone to toss a match.
Aster is the guy to toss that match, and mostly it’s as inflammatory and goading as he wants it to be. Eddington is designed to enrage us, but I’m not sure it offers much else. And there’s something unseemly about seeing the BLM/George Floyd protests being used in a cynical way, bordering on comedic. Again, it’s enraging.
The film is shot with an abundance of style by DP Darius Khondji, who captures the danger and silliness of the moment, filtered through the hazy light of classic Westerns. Aster ramps up the visuals with digital “doomscrolling” interludes, capturing our own social media addiction to all of the worst things happening around us. Admit it, we all did it and probably still do.
Aster’s terrifyingly skillful depiction of our crumbling society is what drives Eddington at its best. Along with another strong, sympathetic, darkly comic performance by Phoenix, the film works best as a cruel reminder of a time we’d all like to forget. It falters and stumbles once Aster gives in to the violence we all know is coming, but by then Eddington has done what it was set out to do, which is to scare us and piss us off in equal measure.
A24 releases Eddington into theaters on July 18th.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios are riding high following the $200M+ debut of James Gunn’s Superman. It’s the biggest superhero film of the year (at least until Fantastic Four in a couple of weeks), and, shocker, already plans are underway to grow the Man of Steel franchise significantly. Is it too much too fast?
In a new WSJ piece, future plans are laid bare to expand the Superman universe beyond next year’s Supergirl. Already in the works for the DCEU are the horror film Clayface, along with the TV series Lanterns. But Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran have more in mind using characters introduced in Superman.
According to the report, TV spinoffs centered on Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen and Justice Gang member Mister Terrific are on Gunn and Safran’s list of possibilities. There’s also a plan to produce two live-action films per year, along with multiple live-action shows and one animated show per year.
Skyler Gisondo played Jimmy Olsen, and he had a very significant role due to his connection to Lex Luthor’s socialite girlfriend, Eve Tessmacher. It’s possible a Jimmy Olsen series wouldn’t just be about him, but the inner workings of The Daily Planet and the other reporters played by Rachel Brosnahan, Wendell Pierce, Mikaela Hoover, and Beck Bennett.
Michael Holt aka Mister Terrific, was played perfectly by Edi Gathegi, and he arguably stole the show as the Justice Gang’s resident tech genius. There’s a rich history that a Mister Terrific series could tap into, and since he’s my favorite DC Comics character I would be so down for this.
Personally, I think all of this is premature. Let’s see how Superman holds up over the long run because doing too much too fast is part of what killed the DCEU’s predecessor.
Following 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson was offered by Lucasfilm the opportunity to create his own original trilogy set in that universe. Instead, he turned his attention to Knives Out and an exclusive deal with Netflix to complete a totally separate trilogy of detective movies. Johnson kept being asked about Star Wars, though, and we joked about it here that he never sounded like he had any plan to actually go through with it. Well, looks like we were right.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Johnson revealed that his original Star Wars trilogy never got out of the concept phase. No shock there, since he also found time to launch the Peacock series, Poker Face…
“It was all very conceptual. There was never any outline or treatment or anything…Nothing really happened with it. We had a great time working together, and they said, ‘Let’s keep doing it.’ I said, ‘Great!’ I would kick ideas around with Kathy. It’s the sort of thing if, down the line, there’s an opportunity to do it, or do something else in Star Wars, I would be thrilled. But right now I’m just doing my own stuff, and pretty happy,” Johnson said.
Johnson also talked about the controversial decision to dispense with Supreme Leader Snoke (played by Andy Serkis), after being set up as the next Palpatine-level threat. Instead, the attention turned towards making Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren the big bad villain for the final chapter…
“That was, in reading J.J.’s script, and watching the dailies, and seeing the power of Adam Driver’s character. The interrogation scene in the first movie, between Rey and Kylo, was so incredibly powerful. Seeing this complicated villain that’s been created, I was just so compelled by that. This is all a matter of perspective and phrasing, but to me, I didn’t easily dispense with Snoke. I took great pains to use him in the most dramatically impactful way I could, which was to then take Kylo’s character to the next level and set him up as well as I possibly could. I guess it all comes down to your point of view. I thought, “This is such a compelling and complicated villain. This is is who it makes sense going forward to build around.’”
It’s possible that Kylo Ren’s story isn’t completely over. Daisy Ridley is returning as Rey Skywalker in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, and something tells me Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo, will factor in somehow.
Johnson wraps up Knives Out with Wake Up Dead Man, which hits Netflix on December 12th.
Okay Wizarding World fans! Get your venomous wands at the ready, because HBO has revealed the first look at its new Harry Potter series as filming on the show has begun. The set photo shows newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, carrying a clapperboard like a Hogwarts student carries his books.
Not pictured yet are Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
The series will have Francesca Gardiner as showrunner, with Mark Mylod (The Menu) directing several episodes. Each season will encompass one of JK Rowling’s seven books, assuming it’s popular enough to last that long. Given the recent state of the movie franchise, that is very much in doubt.
So what do you think? Does McLaughlin have the look to play Harry?
Look for Harry Potter to hit HBO and HBO Max in 2027.
Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man arrives in November, but the beloved “Three Cornettos” director might have another sci-fi remake on his hands. According to scooper DanielRPK (via World of Reel), Wright is in talks to direct Disney’s remake of The Black Hole. This is a project Disney has been pursuing for years, stretching back to a failed attempt by Top Gun: Maverick and F1 director Joseph Kosinski.
Released in 1979, Gary Nelson’s The Black Hole was Disney’s most expensive feature at the time, and was also their first PG-rated movie. The tone was noticeably darker than other Disney films at the time, and included odd, kitschy visual effects. It was misunderstood at the time but has grown to become a cult favorite.
The story followed the crew of the spaceship USS Palomino, who after completing their mission in deep space, encounter the lost ship USS Cygnus, hovering outside the gravitational pull of a black hole. Inside, they find missing scientist Dr. Hans Reinhardt, the sole living human and his crew of faceless, black robots. Reinhardt plans to fly the ship into the black hole, but the others learn of a deadly secret he’s keeping from them.
Wright isn’t officially on board yet, but the report states he would direct and co-write the screenplay with Joe Cornish. Cornish is the filmmaker behind Attack the Block and The Kid Who Would Be King. He and Wright have worked together a lot over the years on Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the earliest incarnation of Ant-Man. Cornish is attached to direct one of Universal’s upcoming Lego movies.
Hopefully this pans out and we get a confirmation soon. The more we get from Wright the better, as far as I’m concerned. He’s never really made a bad movie. Even Last Night in Soho, probably his most polarizing, was an ambitious and stylish thriller that held your attention. I’m curious to see him operate on another big-canvas movie like The Black Hole.
Time to stock up on extra bananas, a Donkey Kong movie appears to be in the works. A copyright filing by Nintendo and Universal Pictures indicates that a feature film centering on the iconic video game ape is happening. The filing recorded on June 6th 2025, and executed in late May, is officially classified as a motion picture, “Untitled Donkey Kong Project.”
There are no creative details, but this is hardly surprising. Donkey Kong is about to get a huge push by Nintendo. The latest game in the franchise, Donkey Kong Bananza, is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive arriving on July 17th. The character also featured heavily in 2023’s $1.3B smash hit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and will likely return for next year’s sequel. Seth Rogen voiced Donkey Kong, and has expressed interest in doing more.
Nintendo is making big moves on the big screen, using their popular video game mascots. A Legend of Zelda movie, directed by Wes Ball, arrives in May 2027. There have also been rumors of a Metroid film.
This is speculation on my part, but I’d assume Nintendo will turn to Illumination to once again handle the animation. Why fix what isn’t broken?
James Gunn and his fledgling DC Studios have gotten off to a solid start with Superman‘s $122M domestic debut. That’s the biggest opening for a superhero movie this year (sorry, Marvel!) and bests the $116M launch of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013. Globally, the numbers get even better with $217M overall. Critically, the film is Certified Fresh with 82% with audiences loving it with a 93% score.
2. Jurassic World Rebirth– $40M/$232.1M
Understandably, Jurassic World Rebirth took a heavy shot from Superman’s debut, dropping 57% and earning $40M in its second weekend. That brings the domestic total to $232M, moving past The Lost World ($229M) and Jurassic Park III ($181.16M) in the franchise. Worldwide it has $529M.
3. F1: The Movie– $13M/$136.1M
4. How to Train Your Dragon– $7.8M/$239.8M
5. Elio– $3.9M/$63.6M
6. 28 Years Later– $2.72M/$65.7M
7. Lilo & Stitch– $2.7M/$414.5M
8. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning– $1.4M/$193.9M
This Street Fighter casting is goddamn wild, and if you’re a wrestling fan it’s like a dream come true. That said, I’m both a wrestling and consider Street Fighter the greatest fighting game franchise ever, and it’s yet to have a good live-action feature film. So I’m a bit torn because, as crazy as things have been, I’m not sure casting a bunch of wrestlers is the way to go. Anyway, there’s yet another wrestler being added to the mix, and it’s recent NJPW World Champion, Hirooki Goto, for the role of E. Honda.
Fightful reports that Goto, who just lost the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Zack Sabre Jr. and was pulled out of the G1 Climax tournament due to injury, has been cast as E. Honda in Street Fighter. The live-action film from Legendary and director Kitao Sakurai already has WWE superstars Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns circling the roles of Guile and Akuma, respectively. Also set to star are Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, 50 Cent as Balrog, Andrew Schulz as Dan, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Orville Peck as Vega, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Jason Momoa as Blanka.
E. Honda debuted in Street Fighter II and is a Japanese sumo wrestling master, who enters the tournament to prove sumo is a real sport.
So the “Goto Revolution” may have been shut down in the squared circle for a while, but it could be reborn in the sumo ring in Street Fighter. Goto began his wrestling career with New Japan in 2003, winning multiple championships along the way. But he had never been World Heavyweight Champion until defeating Zack Sabre Jr. for the title in February. Goto has a little bit of acting experience, having played a minor role in The Mo Brothers’ action flick, Headshot.
I’ve long considered Goto the true heart of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the very embodiment of “fighting spirit.” It’s pretty cool to see him get this opportunity.
Street Fighter was originally to hit theaters in March 2026 but does not currently have a date.
Smart, funny comedies aimed at adults are a rare breed these days. That’s what makes writer/director Deena Kashper’s stoner comedy Nuked such a find. Starring an incredible ensemble led by Anna Camp and Justin Bartha, the film centers on Jack and Gill, a couple celebrating their 40th birthday with a cannabis-fueled weekend bash attended by their closest friends. All phones are confiscated, fun is had, until they learn that a nuclear missile is headed towards California and they’ve got 30 minutes to live. What a horrible time for the weed to kick in!
Nuked also stars Lucy Punch, Tawny Newsome, Maulik Pancholy, Stephen Guarino, Ignacio Serricchio, and George Young. Along with Camp and Bartha, this deft comedic ensemble balance the stoner hijinks with existential crisis in smart and hilarious ways. Nuked gives a different meaning to the term “high-concept” comedy.”
I had the pleasure of speaking with Anna Camp and Justin Bartha about Nuked. We talked about their first read of Kashper’s insane screenplay, and we also discussed how they would each do in an “end of the world” scenario, because Nuked makes you think about such a thing.
